I've been archery hunting in Colorado off and on since 1977, and I never dreamed I would offer this piece of advice. And that advice would be: Hire a guide or outfitter and hunt private land.

In the past, I encouraged hunters, especially younger hunters short on cash, not to wait until they could afford an expensive guide. After all, I'd tell 'em, often the most productive and enjoyable hunts are those done the hard way – inexpensively and on your own.

No longer can I make that claim because things have changed dramatically. For instance, a group of friends and I used to split expenses and drive up to the Flat Tops in the White River National Forest and set up camp. We killed elk, deer and an occasional bear, and seldom did we see another soul. In fact, other hunters were such a rare sight that, when they did happen upon us, they were always welcome in our camp. New friends gave us an opportunity to swap lies and drink a cold Coke or two (yeah, right – "Coke"!).

But this year, a friend, BJ Bailey, my daughter Heather and I made the 24-hour drive earlier this month to hunt. Folks were everywhere, and we could scarcely find a place to tinkle in privacy, let alone locate a vacant camping spot. Not only were there tons of hunters, but there were hikers, bikers and tourists, some old, some young. There were even a few pot heads which, of course, is “legal” in Colorado. I can't say much about the latter … except under different circumstances, it would have been somewhat amusing.

Gets even worse

And if you think we bow hunters have it bad, they say numbers of hunters double, triple, even quadruple during the firearms season for deer and elk. “It looks like a sea of (hunter) orange in the mountains (because gun hunters MUST wear hunter orange),” I have been told by locals and nonresidents alike. Oh, well, at least the fall colors, especially the aspens, were more beautiful than I've ever seen. Trouble is, you can't shoot, or eat, colors!

Not to worry

Don't worry, though. It's not that bad in good ol' Mississippi… yet! In fact, especially at my age, I think I'm gonna devote the rest of my hunting days to pursuing Magnolia State whitetails. At least I have private land on which I have permission to hunt, so I don't have to worry about some tourist driving into the tree where my stand is hung.

That being said, here's hoping that you'll hunt or fish in Mississippi every chance you get. And when you do, try to take a kid with you … every time you can! Speaking of which, Youth (ages 15 and under) Squirrel Season is open now, with the regular fall season opening Oct. 1.

The South Zone (second) dove season opens Oct. 6, with a limit of 15 birds. Archery Deer Season in the Southeast Zone opens Oct. 15. The Southeast Zone includes areas south of US Hwy 84 and east of MS Hwy 35.

Pinebelt NRA Banquet

Don't forget to attend the Pinebelt Chapter NRA banquet to be held Oct. 4. Doors of the Jackie Dole Sherrill Community Center in Hattiesburg open at 5:30 PM.

Contact Nick Crutcher at 601-606-0159 or jncrutcher@hotmail.com for tickets or more information.